Category: Technology

by Richard Cameron SpaceX, the largest private rocket business in the world, today successfully launched it’s revolutionary Falcon Heavy rocket into space this afternoon from pad 39A at NASA’s Cape Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Rocket launches always have a substantial following of enthusiasts, but the Falcon Heavy launch was exceptional as these events go, because Space X’s Falcon Heavy rocket is an historic advance in technology – and anything Space Exploration Technologies founder Elon Musk is involved in, captures the attention of a much wider audience than just…

by Richard Cameron This is a follow up to a report I wrote originally last March in reaction to Donald Trump’s wild and unfounded claims that former President Barack Obama had personally put him and his campaign under surveillance. My decision to re-publish it now, is based on Trump having started up a baseless line of attack on the intelligence community once again and using it as a tactic to divert attention away from the Mueller investigation that is coming to a rolling boil. Here is the most recent…

by Richard Cameron By now, most of our readers have likely heard about the Apple iPhone debacle late December, in which the company pushed power consumption updates to various of their recent and older cell phones, slowing the phone data transmission rate in order to extend the life of their non user replaceable batteries. That continues to rankle millions of iPhone users worldwide and constitute a corresponding PR disaster for the company. Just on the heels of that is a tech fail that affects a predominant variety of computing…

by Oletta Branstiter Social Media is not for the faint of heart. This is typical of the responses I receive for disagreeing with “Christian”, “Conservative”, “Republicans” (this one, from a woman – please pardon the unladylike profanity): “Well it’s seems your [sic] an asshole democrat who hates America !! but ok….Merry Christmas dickhead !!” Poor thing. It appears that she has run out of facts and logic and must defend her position with raw emotion. Examples of what NOT to do. Regrettably, this tactic has become an acceptable norm on…

by Richard Cameron To make an accurate assessment of the effects of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans of reversing the previous safeguards of the common carrier provisions in the Title II Communications Act, it is necessary to unravel not only the claims and counter-claims, but to outline the underlying facts. Net Neutrality – the default condition of the internet for decades, was formalized by the FCC in 2015. There are two competing narratives regarding Net Neutrality. One is that the warnings of what will result from the lifting of…

By Janice Barlow After recently participating in a debate on why a $250 tax deduction for teachers to buy supplies was chopped out of the new tax bill by the House, I couldn’t let the real reason for the issue just rest. The Senate was generous enough to make it a $500 deduction, but it still needs to be reconciled with the House. It’s not about the $250, (which is merely a deduction, not a credit). It’s about why teachers shouldn’t be buying supplies for students at all – or parents…

by J. Lee Disabled Animals Who Overcame Their Challenges This story is a continuation of my previous disabled animal story featuring dogs and cats. See below for a link to read: Part One ‘Disabled Dogs And Cats – Amazing Mobility With Pet Wheelchairs And Water Therapy’. This story will give you a greater understanding about disabled animals, technological advances in the medical field, veterinary advances, and those who rescue special need animals. Some animals are fitted with wheelchairs. Some are fitted with prosthetics which can be referred to as having…

by Richard Cameron Ever since Facebook arrived on the scene in Cambridge, Mass in 2004 (yes, that far back), it has been surrounded with controversy and detractors. Anything that has such a wide reach throughout the fabric of society is bound to. Much of the criticism is valid. Facebook has provided not only a platform for social interaction, but also for government surveillance of citizens and for opportunists looking to exploit or steal your personal data. I have also written about the phenomenon of “Facebook Jail” – a place…

by Richard Cameron Locky is not Lucky What is “Locky” and why should you take steps to avoid getting hit with it? Well, for one thing, it’s a lot worse than being in Facebook Jail. Instead of being suspended from posting on the social media giant, if your computer gets infected by Locky, all of your saved files will be taken into custody by hackers and not released back to you until you pay a hefty price to effect their release. Locky is but one prominent example of “ransomware” –…

by Richard Cameron Recently I enjoyed listening to Max Brooks’ interview on NPR with Fresh Air host Terry Gross. Max is the son of comedy genius Mel Brooks and noted actress Anne Bancroft, she of the iconic Mrs. Robinson role in “The Graduate” – an Oscar winning box office smash of 1967, and the breakout role of Dustin Hoffman’s career. Max is an accomplished writer and creator in his own right – having written a popular series of books on the zombie phenomenon, including “The Zombie Survival Guide”. Brooks has…